I spent years trying to outrun myself, Mel says. Trying to make enough noise to drown myself out. It makes me ashamed to admit this. But it’s okay to let yourself catch up. It’s okay if you work to catch up to the things that have happened to you. You do it for yourself. But also for the people around you. The people who deserve to experience you, undiluted, honest. Your genuine self, given to them. My cartoon self takes her by the elbow, pulls her to the door. My voice: “Come on,” I tell her. “It’s time to go to work.” We leave together. The door swings shut. Your life is the people who fill
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